Authors' Galley--Let's get cooking!

***  2/19 1:55 PM  HUGE congratulations to our book giveaway winner, AMBER G. ! ***

YOU MAY NOTICE that the look of this blog has changed. Spoons and spice and a big, grinning photo of ME in my scrubs, apron, Flintstone pearls and stethoscope. Manning my Santa red Kitchen Aid mixer. The medical fiction author in her reality kitchen, where herbs mix with metaphors all too often. Yes, I plot while I cook. And, vice versa:  readers will find that quite often I have cooking and food in the scenes of my novels. My two passions mixing like a whisk in a bowl of batter. Which leads me right back to the subject of the new look of this blog. I'm changing things up a bit. Here's what you can expect from AUTHORS' GALLEY:

• Bi-weekly posts that incorporate (have fun with!) both COOKING and BOOKS. 
• Glimpses into the kitchens of fellow authors--guests sharing recipes, cooking tips, recipes, memories, humor, photos, or even confessions of kitchen bloopers!
• Snippets of books, sneak peeks at new work, and especially scenes/facts related to cooking (imagine the drama in the kitchen of Downton Abbey!)
• Perhaps some book and cooking related giveaways
• A give and take interaction between readers (yes, you)  and authors--we'll encourage you to "tie on the apron" and share your kitchen tidbits, too.
• A chance to see your favorite authors (and discover new ones) in a different setting: their kitchens. 

When you have guests, doesn't everyone always ends up hanging out in the kitchen? It's sure that way at the Calverts. I'm hoping this blog is a place you'll do exactly that. So pull up a chair, grab an apron, and let's get started:

Today I'm sharing the recipe for the Lemon Pistachio Shortbread that had folks drooling on Facebook recently. Like many of my recipes, I found it online by searching ingredients. The search was prompted by a huge bag of Meyer lemons brought over by our next door neighbor. I served these cookies for dessert at a recent dinner party and they were a huge hit. Buttery, crisp, light, and the pistachios add  an unexpected nutty flavor that complements the tangy lemon juice and zest in the glaze topping. 

The only "fussy" part of the recipe is that shortbread crust is crumbly and you have to be a bit patient when rolling it out. But it's totally worth the effort, trust me. If you like lemon, this is your cookie. Plus, it makes your kitchen smell heavenly! Now that you're tempted, here's that recipe link:
Lemon Glazed Pistachio Shortbread. 

Because I also promised a book-related snippet, here is a teeny glimpse into Code Triage. Some of you may remember that the hero of this book is a San Francisco cop who was once a chef.  The story of a marriage in jeopardy,  this book has a continuing motif surrounding lemons. Here, hero Nick Stathos is reminded of his famous Greek lemon soup:

           

 “Avgolemono,” he said, the memories hitting him full in the heart. Their kitchen in their old Victorian fixer, always in stages of remodel; black granite counters, stainless steel, Leigh standing barefoot on the hardwood floor watching him as he cooked; teasing him about being a macho SFPD cop with a whisk in his holster. He’d offer her a sip of the creamy soup from a wooden spoon, she’d murmur with passionate approval then move into his arms, lifting her face for a kiss. Her lips would taste of lemons . . .

So there you go, that's the venue for my new blog. Talk of food. Recipe. Snippet from a book. And . . . oh yes, I mentioned the occasional giveaway, didn't I?
Let's do that.

Leave a comment below, telling me what you think of think of my new blog, Authors' Galley, and I'll add your name to a drawing for an advanced review copy of my upcoming release, RESCUE TEAM. Yes, you'll get to read it ahead of it's release!

Please leave your name and an e-mail. The winner will be chosen randomly on Tuesday, February 19th and will be notified by e-mail.

Thank you for stopping by my cyber kitchen. And stay tuned for my first guest author coming soon. Hint: Her kitchen talk will include (eek!) . . . Poison. 

Til next time, happy reading and . . . Bon appetit!